One of our family favorite’s is Bluegrass Grill, just a block off the Downtown Mall. We seem to all get the craving at the same time. Our five year old will wander into the bedroom and ask to head over there for breakfast. Most of the time, we agree and probably find ourselves there once every couple weeks.

We all love the kids’ play area and try to sit as close as possible. My two year old makes phone calls and dumps out toys from the little red toy box. My older son searches for dino toys and draws pictures. Together, they cook up all sorts of delights in the little wooden kitchen, complete with stainless pots and pans, pancakes, and even pats of butter! My husband and I REALLY appreciate that there are plenty of things for the littles to get into without being too disruptive.

Although there is not a separate kids’ menu, there are lots of menu items suitable for your sweet wee ones. For under $5, you could piece together a picky-eater breakfast from the a la carte menu or set them up with pancakes, granola, or oatmeal. UNLESS, your too-smart-for-your-own-good five year old wises up to the fact that the Hungry Norman IS the most delicious breakfast possible and starts requesting the $12 parent pleaser in place of his usual short stack of honey-wheat pancakes. Of course, adults can enjoy a solid variety of menu options, including vegan, vegetarian, and GF-friendly picks. Currently, I’m totally stuck on P3-a mouth-watering mess of home fries, chorizo, peppers, and cheddar cheese...so, so good!

We have found the BGG (our family name for our beloved fave breakfast spot) to be easy to get into most weekdays. Weekends are a totally different story. If you get there past the initial opening time (and sometimes even then) plan to wait a while before a table becomes available. There seems to be a bit of confusion around how waiting works. I must say, we don’t do the waiting thing. If there is a wait, we go straight to plan B. However, I BELIEVE the wait list is on the wall and folks add their own names to the list and seat themselves when space becomes available.

The BGG only takes cash or check, so be sure to prepare ahead of time, or you’ll be walking over to the mall to find an ATM to pay for your meal!

It isn’t always clear to me whether the staff is as happy to have us around as we are to be there. I’ve decided to chalk it up to them being busy and the actual fact that kids in restaurants can be potentially disastrous for everyone involved. Generally, the service is good enough, even if no one is smiling at us or gushing about how cute my kid’s drawings are.

My biggest complaint is the ginormous pile of seasonings, condiments, and decor in the middle of each table, no matter how tiny. There is the small vase with a single flower, the libations menu (good to know in case your trip really goes down hill!), salt & pepper, a variety of sweeteners, three types of jellies, a dish of single-serve margarine cups, two types of hot sauces, and I don’t even know what else! This is like a gold mine of mischief for my children and ends up getting scooted to every corner of the table multiple times before we leave. Exhausting.

I can’t recall if there is a changing table in the bathroom because i never actually go in there. I don’t know why my husband and I haven’t actually started to plan for this phenomenon, but EVERY time we go pretty much, my two year old has a massive bowel movement AND we leave the diaper bag in the car. So….the kid gets changed in the back of the car and I cannot report on the presence or absence of a changing table. Maybe if you take your diaper bag in with you, you can find out and let us know!

Overall, the BGG feels fun and easy for our crew! We love the food, our kids are entertained, and we feel like the prices are reasonable. It is a bright spot that we look forward to pretty often and love to share with visiting friends and family. And they have chocolate covered bacon. Bloody Mary’s, a play kitchen, and chocolate covered bacon. Winning!